IAN BELL
Recordings:
The most recent CDs can be ordered or downloaded from CD Baby. Earlier recordings are trickier, but not impossible to get. E-mail me about them. ian.bell@sympatico.ca
- My Pious Friends & Drunken Companions (Free Range 2009)
Traditional Material:
A collection of traditional songs and tunes that Ian has performed for years, but never got around to recording until recently. With Geoff Somers, Anne Lederman, Oliver Schroer, Denis Rondeau, The Bilge Rats, Pat O’Gorman, Shane Cooke and others- Shallow Water - (Free Range 2007)
Original Songs and tunes:
Third disc in the “tri-county trilogy” This record includes a lot of music inspired by Port Dover and lakeside life. full of sailors, motorcycles, fishermen, tattoos (several), rockabilly singers, fiddlers and cameo appearances by George Wade and Rudy Vallee. With Geoff Somers, Tom Leighton, David Woodhead, Denis Rondeau, Chris Schiller.- Signor Farini & Other Adventures - (Free Range 2000)
Original Songs and trad. tunes:
Mostly original songs with a few sets of traditional tunes and an old song from Jackie Washington thrown in. Songs inspired by life in darkest southwestern Ontario. With The Dawnbreakers - Kate Murphy, Brian Pickell, Geoff Somers with Anne Lederman and Dave Zdriluk.- Up Our Way - (Sound Reconstructions 1998)
- The Road Home - (Sound Reconstructions 1997)
- Free Range - (Free Range 1996)
Original Songs: (Out of Print)
Original Songs and instrumental music accompanied by the Dawnbreakers – Kate Murphy, Brian Pickell, Oliver Schroer with David Zdriluk and Anne Lederman. I’ll burn you a copy if you ask nicely. (e-mail)- Singing In A Strange Land - (Joseph Schneider Haus 1993)
Shape note music from Waterloo Co., Ontario :(Cassette)
Vocal and instrumental arrangements with a large chorus, The Dawnbreakers, Oliver Schroer, Anne Lederman, Ian Robb, and many others. Produced for Joseph Schneider Haus Museum.- Brightest & Best - (Sound Reconstructions 1992)
Early Christmas Music – Shapenote chorus & instrumental:
Prof. Chalaupka’s Celebrated Singing School with Anne Lederman, Oliver Schroer, David Travers-Smith,
John Mayberry and others. CDs available - e-mail for details.- The Farmer Feeds Us All - (Sound Reconstructions 1991)
Mostly Traditional & Historic: (Cassette – out of print)
Traditional and contemporary songs about farming and agriculture.- A Grand Musical Entertainment - (Sound Reconstructions 1990)
Traditional & Historic:
Grassroots Music of Early Ontario (Cassette - out of print) The Dawnbreakers, Prof. Chalaupka’s Celebrated Singing School, Enoch Kent, Anne Lederman, Oliver Schroer, David Travers-Smith, and many others.- Scatter The Ashes (with Muddy York) - (CBC/Boot Records 1984)
Traditional & Historic:
Music of Old Ontario - Muddy York (vinyl – try eBay!)
Neat arrangements of fiddle tunes from the 19th century Allan Ash manuscript and early Ontario folksongs. with Anne Lederman. I’ll burn you a copy if you ask nicely. (e-mail)
As a freelance broadcaster I have written and presented features for CBC Radio:
- This Morning
- Tapestry
- Basic Black
- Crosswords
- Radio Noon
I have appeared as a guest on:
- Morningside with Peter Gzowski (four appearances)
- Vicki Gabereau
- Radio Noon
- Later The Same Day
- Metro Morning
- Fresh Air
- The Vinyl Café
- I also performed historical music for and occasionally appeared in the television series "The Road To Avonlea"
Festivals I have played at either as a solo or with Muddy York or The Dawnbreakers
- "Roots of American Music" Festival, Lincoln Centre, New York City
- Viljandi Folk Festival, Estonia
- Mariposa Folk Festival
- Edmonton Folk Festival
- Winnipeg Folk Festival
- Summerfolk, Owen Sound
- Festival Of Friends
- Home County Folk Festival
- Le Carrefour Mondiale de L'Accordeon, Montmagny
- Folklife Pavillion Expo 86, Vancouver
- Folk Festival, Upper Canada Village
- Songs of Sail, Pentanguishene
- WOMAD, Toronto
- Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival
Folk Clubs I have played at include:
- The Flying Cloud, Toronto
- The Vital Spark, Oshawa
- The Old Sod, Ottawa
- Rasputin's, Ottawa
- Ragged But Right, Toronto
- Guelph Folk Club
- Rocky Mountain, Calgary
- Stonecroft Folk, Ingersoll
I have also presented concerts and special programs at many museums and historic sites including:
- Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
- Upper Canada Village, Morrisburg
- Glenbow Museum, Calgary
- Fort York, Toronto
- Black Creek Pioneer Village, Toronto
- Doon Heritage Crossroads, Kitchener
- Fort Niagara, Lewiston, NY
- Fort George, Niagara-On-The-Lake
- Marine Museum, Toronto
- Ottawa Folklore Centre, Ottawa
In 1993 I was Folk Artist In Residence at the Joseph Schneider Haus Museum in Kitchener. During this year I researched and presented musical traditions of Waterloo County, focusing on the shape-note singing traditions of the area. My work there included the production of a recording and the presentation of a concert of this music as well as the creation of an exhibit on the subject.
In museum and historic site settings I can present thematic concerts of historical music on period instruments. This can be done in costume if appropriate. Topics include:
- Music of Early Ontario/Early Canada
- Songs of The Great Lakes
- Topers and Teetotalers (Songs of Temperance and Tippling)
- A Soldier's/Sailor's Life
- A Garland of Love (and Lust) - Valentines Day Show
- Robert Burns In The New World
- The Celtic Connection In Early Ontario
Special Duo Concerts with Other Artists
"I'm Not Making Any Of This Up!" - Ian Bell and James Gordon
In this special concert, Ian is joined by James Gordon. James is well known for his many years with the group Tamarack and for his songwriting contributions to CBC's "Basic Black" and "Ontario Morning" programs. Between them, these two have collected or written songs about some of the strangest occurrences and personalities to have come out of Ontario during the last 6,000 or so years, and they both swear up and down that they're all true. This is a unique opportunity to see two of Canada's best storytellers and quirkiest songwriters pass the ball back and forth for an evening. During the course of the show they also use a small mountain of instruments to accompany each other - guitars, accordions, mandolins, banjo, fiddle, harmonica, whistle and on really special nights - an antique nose flute. This is a really fun show. Both artists are known for their work on CBC Radio.
"A Ramble Through Persephone Township" - Ian Bell and Dan Needles
Dan Needles is a writer for Harrowsmith Magazine, but is best known as the author of the phenomenally popular "Wingfield Farm" plays, which have been performed across Canada by actor Rod Beattie. Dan is also a spectacular raconteur himself. In this concert, he and Ian trade stories and songs dealing with life in rural Ontario. Many of Dan's hilarious monologues focus on the landscape and characters he grew up with as well as his life as a part time farmer today. "Wingfield" fans will recognize the origins of parts of the plays in many of these tales. This is like an entertaining late night jaw-wag around a southern Ontario kitchen table. A really special evening for anyone, this show is particularly resonant in rural areas.